8 Things You Need To Know This AM

8 Things You Need To Know This AM — Dec 22 2015

Miss Colombia opened up about Steve Harvey’s crowning mistake at the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, is a thousand times more graceful and understanding than we are. Even though she was forced to return her Miss Universe crown and sash on live television after pageant host Steve Harvey mixed up the first runner-up with the winner, Gutierrez remained dignified and positive about the experience. “Everything happens for a reason,” she said in a video, posted to Miss Universe’s official Facebook page. (Read More)

The FDA ended its 30-year ban on blood donations from gay men.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally lifted its 1983 policy banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood, the agency will impose a new discriminatory restriction, which they say “is backed by sound science and continues to protect [the] blood supply.” According to the new policy, gay and bisexual men can donate blood only if they have abstained from sexual contact with other men for at least a year. (Read More)

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Adele set the record straight on that Beyoncé duet rumor.

Your favorite singer Adele had a huge year, and in a new Time cover story, she reflects on all the record-shattering sales and critical-acclaim with her trademark wit and candor. While her third studio album 25 proved to be a juggernaut without any features or big-name guest appearances, Adele was interested in duets, despite the persistent rumor that she turned down an invitation from Beyoncé. “Whoever started that rumor must have been having a laugh because anyone who knows me knows that my main priority in life outside of my child is Beyoncé,” she joked. (Time)

Chelsea Clinton announced that she's expecting her second child.Mazel tov to the Clinton clan! This afternoon, Chelsea Clinton announced on Twitter that she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are expecting their second child. Clinton shared the news via a photo of her 1-year-old daughter, Charlotte, holding a book called Big Sisters Are the Best. There’s no word yet on whether the couple is expecting a little boy or another little girl. This will be the second grandchild for Bill and Hillary. (Read More)

Senator Lindsey Graham dropped out of the presidential race.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham announced the end of his presidential bid, leaving behind a legacy of debate one-liners and a consistent polling at less than 1% among voters. Sharing his decision in a YouTube video (so millennial), Graham believes his noted “hawkishness” helped reshape the dialogue surrounding ISIS and counterterrorist efforts. (Read More)

Olivier Award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni was forced to contend with a virulent backlash after she was cast to play Hermione Granger in a new London production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts I & II. While some Harry Potter fans were unable to process the idea of Hogwarts’ bushy-haired intellectual being Black, J.K. Rowling celebrated the choice. "Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione,” the author tweeted. (Read More)

In a candid interview with NPR, President Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, accusing the frontrunner of “exploiting” certain working class anxieties that have developed as result of “demographic change” and “economic stresses.” When asked by NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep to reflect on Trump’s unparalleled success, President Obama acknowledged the “anger, frustration, [and] fear” bubbling up in some corners of the country."I think somebody like Mr. Trump is taking advantage of that.” (NPR)

Kim Kardashian launched her own emoji line, replete with a miniature gluteus maximus, and an ugly-cry face.

Just in time for the holidays—and all the SOS texts you’ll be sending your friends from the family dinner table—Kim Kardashian unveiled a set of emojis that is unlike anything you can find among the 100 emojis of yore. Aptly named Kimoji, the new app is truly an embarrassment of riches, including such Kimspired emojis as a waist trainer, a contouring map, a veritable Whitman’s sampler of derrières and the new mom’s legendary cry face. (Read More)